Field: The invention is in the field of processes for the manufacture of simulated or cultured marble in slabs or panels and as surfacing applied to molded articles, such as bathroom fixtures.
State of the Art: Various processes for the production of synthetic or cultured marble have been developed and extensively used commercially in the past. One which has enjoyed particular commercial success is disclosed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,886, granted to Fabri-Netics, Ltd. on Nov. 20, 1973, and entitled "Process for Forming Simulated Marble". Briefly, this patented process involves spraying long, coherent streams of a special veining composition on the prepared surface of a mold, spraying a discontinuous coating of a special spatter composition over the thus veined mold surface, and filling the thus-coated mold with a matrix base material. The result has been a superior simulated or cultured marble product, although one still not as realistic as could be desired. The patent indicates that the spatter composition may cover as much as 50% or more of the mold surface, including vertical mold walls. In actual practice, the coverage has been kept at 50% so far as possible.